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Cruise passenger hurt as gangway collapses
Saturday, 09 Mar, 2009
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An elderly cruise ship passenger was injured when a gangway collapsed in high winds in Palma harbour.
The incident happened as passengers were disembarking MSC Cruises’ new ship Fantasia yesterday on its first call to the port in Majorca last week.
Spanish media reports said a strong gust of wind ripped several of the bow moorings off bollards on the pier and the ship moved away from the quay.
This caused the gangway, at some 15m above the sea, to collapse.
The Egyptian passenger, who was crossing the gangway at the time, fell into the water, prompting four crew members to dive in to rescue him.
All were treated for hypothermia and the injured male passenger, aged in his eighties, was taken to hospital in Palma in a serious condition.
The accident occurred as a result of the strong winds affecting the Balearic Islands, according to the port authority in Palma.
The authority closed the port to traffic ‘as a safety measure’ and the cruise ship was moved to a different pier.
A spokeswoman for the Italian cruise company confirmed that three bow mooring bitts on the harbourside became detached in strong winds as passengers were disembarking and the captain took immediate command of the ship to avoid any further damage.
"We would like to stress the quick and brave reaction of the captain and crew, who got the passenger out of the water in less than two minutes," she said.
A statement from the company confirmed that the passenger involved in the incident on MSC Fantasia in Palma was now in a stable condition and recovering well in a local hospital.
“The incident happened when the passenger was disembarking – high winds led to three pier-side mooring bitts becoming detached simultaneously, causing MSC Fantasia to move away from the dock and resulting in the disembarking guest to fall into the water.
“The local port authorities have confirmed their responsibility for the incident, which was beyond the control of MSC Cruises.”
MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago said: “I am very glad to know that our guest is doing better in hospital and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
“I am extremely proud of all four of our crew members who did not hesitate to dive in to the sea to help our guest as soon as they saw what had happened.
“Their immediate and selfless action demonstrates our ethic of working together as one big family at MSC Cruises and I would like to thank them for their quick-thinking and courageous response.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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